Gathering Pieces
by Kiyo Kage
Summary: Kage and Blade have left Hogwarts on a mission to get back their lost family members. That, combined with a journey to a place that they don’t even believe in, proves to be just a little more than they thought it would be. Sequel to Shattered Reality.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Kage and Blade have left Hogwarts on a mission to get back their lost family members. That, combined with a journey to a place that they don't even believe in, proves to be just a little more than they thought it would be.

Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain

Warnings: If you like Kiba, sorry. He's an asshole in most of this story.

..........................................................................................................................................................

Kage and Blade left the place they had seen as home since September 1st. Kage felt bad for leaving Draco behind, he was the one person who seemed to genuinely care about them. She followed Blade into the Forbidden Forest, hoping to see her older brother.

Blade looked up as the clouds parted and let the Moon's full rays cast down on the two of them, loving the feeling of every bruise fade away. Then excitement pulsed through her veins as she heard the howls in the distance, no wolf could deny the full moon. The older wolf looked back to see Kage's eyes light up as she recognized her brothers howl. The two girls sprinted off towards the howls, sending off yips and small howls of their own...hoping to be reunited with their lost family.

Kage sprinted with all her might, but stopped before reaching their destination. She waited for Blade to pass before hiding behind the other girl. Kage didn't understand why she was so nervous all of a sudden, but hoped she had nothing to worry about.

Blade stepped forward slowly and could already hear the men's voices and snarls of their approach.

"It's ok..." Blade called through the trees as they came to the clearing where the four were sitting and she wanted to cry and run forward. It was them...after all these years it was them. The four stared at her in disbelief; Tsume's mouth fell open slightly and Hige's eyes got huge. Toboe was hiding behind Tsume, but once he saw it was Blade and Kage he started to run forward but was haulted by Kiba, who was now in front of Blade, snarling. Blade snarled back, hackles raised she stepped forward. She might have missed Kiba but she was not going to be pushed around or intimidated by his large white fangs.

"Who are you?" he growled low in his throat, they started circling each other and Blade saw the fear in Kage's eyes as she hid in the brush.

"You don't recognize me, Kiba." Blade said softly. "I figured you wouldn't..."

"Kage?" Hige yelled, running to his younger sister. Kage leaned into his embrace, sighing with relief. Kiba's eyes shot over to the two, growling as Hige let go of Kage and moved to give Blade a hug. Even then, Kage stood close to him, not wanting to lose her brother again. She didn't know any of the others, but guessed that Toboe was the one who looked exactly like Arrow-she had been told that Arrow had a twin. Tsume had to be the last one, she deducted. The older twins didn't look as much alike as Arrow and Toboe, but still had subtle similarities.

"Oh would you stop already!" Blade snapped and Kiba was taken aback at the female's harsh tone. Blade was suddenly tackled by Hige.

"I thought you two were dead! Oh thank god you two are alive!" he cried hugging his friend tightly.

"Ack, Hige! I can't breathe!" she cried while rolling away from the bigger wolf. She jumped up in her human form and turned to Tsume, who stared at her.

"Blade?" he asked, she nodded and walked up to her twin brother. Same yellow eyes, same dark skin. But Tsume's hair was white and hers black, he was much taller than her and her father's temper, just like Sollecks. "I can't believe you're alive."

"Me neither," she muttered, "I thought you died all those years ago. What happened?" Blade asked.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later. First, we need to figure out how to get the others." Kiba said.

Kage looked up at the mention of the two missing wolves. "Hige, do you remember where the Keep is?" she asked, shifting her stare to him. "I've been trying to go through maps and mark off where I know it isn't, but I just can't remember where it is."

"Of course I remember, how could I forget," Hige muttered and looked up at Blade. "We need to get back. It's about Sollecks." At their little brothers name Tsume and Blade flared.

"What's wrong with him?" both cried.

"Okay, that was just weird," Hige told them, but Blade was on him in a flash, "Okay, okay!! He's been having lots of extra training. He doesn't speak. Luckily it's kept them away from Arrow." Kage sighed. Blade leapt off of Hige, who was on the ground with her over his chest holding him by the collar.

"Let's get moving..." She whispered.

"We need a plan." Kiba told her, Blade turned to him and he tried to hold her icy glare.

"You don't know the building like the three of us. We'll work it out, but we are going to need everyone, Kiba. Let's get closer, though, because things are constantly changing at Acuna's. You never know what he might have waiting." She growled low in her throat. "Let's go."

As they ran, Kage ran over ideas with Hige, while Blade tried to get Kiba to understand that they needed to lead this.

"Arrow's not gonna go with any of you, so I need to get to him. Blade should probably grab Sollecks, so that leaves the rest of you as watch." Kage muttered, looking back at Toboe, who was lagging behind. "He should probably stay outside the keep, looking for intruders."

"Yeah. Kiba, Tsume, and I can go in and watch the guards while you two go grab the others." Hige added, calling Blade over. "What do you think?" He told her of the plan.

Blade let her old way of thinking take over the strategy. "It should work but we need to keep the noise down to a minimum. We can't let the other guards or Acuna know what we're up to. If we do they'll take Sollecks and Arrow somewhere we can't reach them. We get in, we get out, and we leave as fast as we can." Blade told them.

"Do you think...Cheza will be there?" asked Kiba, Blade froze in her tracks, causing Tsume to run into her but she was solid as a rock.

"Cheza?" asked Blade, she had heard that name before.

"The flower maiden! We've been looking for her, Blade! Oh she smells so nice!! AND she's going to lead us to Paradise!!!" Toboe exclaimed, "And Kiba looooves her."

"Shut up, Toboe." Tsume snapped. Blade stared at Kiba, who stared right back.

"The flower maiden...the plant that was made by Nobles then put out as bait to lure wolves to their deaths? You're looking for her? What proof do you have that she will lead you to Paradise? It'll be more like the path to our deaths!" Blade cried, more hurt at the fact that Kiba was in love with the flower maiden. But she wasn't going to let the pack she had just gotten back be lead to their deaths with her around.

"THANK YOU!" Tsume cried, glad that someone else shared his views.

"Shut up, Tsume." Blade snapped.

Kage spoke up. "I don't think Cheza would be there. If she was, wouldn't we know? Acuna...I mean, we would have smelt it. I don't remember smelling anything like that." She looked over at the other two. "Do you two remember anything like that?"

"No, Cheza's smell is too strong to be masked by Acuna. If anything he'd let us smell her to torture us. He doesn't have her, Kiba, I've told you that." Hige told Kiba, who looked away from Blade, who was blank faced and cold eyed.

"Let's just focus on Sollecks and Arrow," she growled low in her throat.

Kage nodded before going into what she called 'soldier mode'. "Blade and I will go in, bringing in Tsume and Kiba. We will drop you off in cages, so it doesn't look suspicious. She will grab Sollecks, I'll grab Arrow. Toboe, you'll keep watch from outside, howl if you see anything. Hige will watch after Tsume and Kiba, under the pretense that he is making sure that the new prisoners don't escape. After we grab Sollecks and Arrow, we'll run through, grabbing you three as we leave. We'll meet up with Toboe outside, then get to a safe location where we will treat any injuries gained and make sure that we aren't being followed." she stated, staring straight ahead.

"I'm not taking orders from an eleven year old." Kiba stated, causing Kage to growl warningly. Blade turned on Kiba, too.

"We know what we're doing. Either you can do as the trained killer says or you can wait outside with Toboe." Blade snarled at the white wolf, who snarled right back.

"If you think you can do any better, be sure to let me know." Kage growled. "As for now, you have no idea what you're doing, and I was trained practically from birth to do shit like this. Now, if you have any ideas, or even have a clue what Sollecks and Arrow look like, let me know now." She glared at Kiba, daring him to speak up.

"Guys stop fighting!" Toboe cried as Blade and Kiba snarled even more at each other. "We have to save the others, we can't do that if we can't work together!"

"Fine, but I'm doing this for Sollecks and Arrow. Not to find his stupid flower maiden." Blade snarled.

"Uh..." Kiba muttered, but he didn't have a chance to retaliate as the pack began to move out towards the keep.

Once they had the Keep in sight, Blade and Kage halted the group. "Toboe, stay here. Remember, howl if you see anything suspicious-people hauling out cages in a hurry, anything that seems out of place. If someone comes towards you, howl quickly then run to cover." Kage whispered. She looked over at Blade. "They take orders better from you. I'll follow you from here on in." Blade nodded.

"Okay, here's the plan maybe you'll listen to me a little better," she shot a look at Kiba, who glared back. "We go in like you two are captives, that way we get by unchecked. We will leave Tsume at the first checkpoint, hidden in one of the cages. The next one to be left will be Kiba. Kiba, you have to keep your mouth shut because if a guard walks by they will harass you. Just keep calm until we leave, who knows how they upped security here. Hige will be the last that way it won't be such a shock when we get Arrow and Sollecks. Kage will be able to get Arrow out no problem, it'll be Sollecks who might put up a bit of a fight. Once we're out we run. Kill anyone who gets in the way and we leave no one behind. Got it?" The guys nodded. "Okay, let's move."

Kage whipped around, eyes dead, and knocked Kiba to the ground. She twisted his arms behind him, walking him along like a policeman would a prisoner. "Shut up." She snarled as Kiba growled and tried to pull away. Tsume took one look at Blade and turned around, offering his wrists behind him. Kage pushed Kiba forward, walking through the front doors. She opened a cage and threw him in, smirking. She closed the lock as much as she could without it latching before heading off to find Arrow. When she reached his cage, it took every ounce of self-control she had not to start crying. He looked even more broken than when she left.

"Arrow, listen to me. We're getting you and Sollecks out. Follow my lead," she whispered before standing up. "Acuna wishes to see you." Arrow stood, shaking, and Kage grabbed his elbow lightly, leading him down the hallway where she had left Kiba.

...........................................................................................................................................................

Read and Review!


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: See Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own, Don't sue

Warnings: See Chapter 1

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Blade brought in Tsume from the other way with Hige following cloe behind. Both of them had on their deadliest of looks as Blade 'threw' her twin into the cage closest to the entrance & walked past Kiba without flinching as the large white wolf tried to stand but hit his head with snarl. She saw Kage getting Arrow out, and saw Solleks was laying in his side in the cage.

"Solleks, come on. We gotta go." Sollecks stirred and threw himself at the bars snarling and snapping. "Sollecks, I know you're angry that I left, but we have the others. Tsume's waiting for us, come on. We have to make this look legitimate." Blade snarled at her baby brother, trying to get his attention and not cry at the crazed look in his eyes. She pulled him out of the cage and he leaned fully against her, god he was getting too big for this. "Kage....run." Blade told Kage. The four took off like a shot for Kiba, unlocking his cage then to Tsume. Blade couldn't believe it...they were so close...they were almost free. They were joined shortly by Hige.

Kage and Arrow stared to fall behind, both of their short statures making it hard for the girl to carry her friend too far. As they turned a corner, she lost sight of the others. Slightly panicking, she tried to run faster, Arrow struggling to keep up. However, instead of seeing the others, Kage's twin walked out.

"Dad's not gonna like this too much, is he?" Fushigi smirked, stepping toward the other two. "But then again, Dad seems to really like that thing, so you might get off easy, Kage." Kage growled in response, but was unable to react in time when the other boy's fist caught her in the throat, cutting off her airway. She gasped, trying to get air back into her lungs, while Arrow fell to the ground behind her.

"Arrow...run." She gasped, but the other boy could barely stand on his own, let alone run fast enough to get away. Kage took a knife out of her boot, attempting to stab her twin. He moved enough that she only sliced his shoulder, fighting back with a kick to her side. In wolf form, she jumped on him, sinking her teeth into his arm. She was thrown off, landing on top of Arrow. As she struggled to get back up, Acuna came into view.

Blade turned around to see that Kage and Arrow were gone, "HIGE!" she gasped Tsume was with them but where were Kage Arrow and Kiba? "Hige, take them out of here!"

"Blade! We can't! We need to stick together! We're coming with, maybe if we let the XXL Tasmanian Devil (Sollecks) out he'll slaughter them." Hige told her, Blade stared down at Sollecks and nodded.

"Lets move, now." they back tracked and rounded the corner but Blade stopped the others as she saw the tall figure of Acuna standing before Kage and Arrow...and Fushigi. Blade held back a low snarl as she stepped out from around the corner and sprang forward to sink her fangs into Acuna.

Kage watched as Blade attempted to fight off Acuna, turning around to try and help Arrow up. As she pulled him up to full height, she felt a blunt force against her back and went flying into the wall. Arrow tried to get up to protect Kage, but was in too much pain from earlier that day. He curled up as they saw Sollecks run for Fushigi, biting down on the younger boy's side as he tossed him into a corner. Kage and Sollecks made eye contact for a second before he turned to face Acuna.

Blade stood on one side of Acuna while Sollecks was on the other, both snarling and circling the evil man. Fushigi lay crumpled in the corner, unconscious.

"Kage, get him out of here." Blade ordered and Fushigi stood next to Kage so that she and Arrow could get past without Acuna getting to them. "The others are waiting for you."

"Ah, I have been waiting for this day for a long time..." Acuna said in his cold soft voice that had Blade snarling and barring all of her fangs at the man.

"SHUT UP! We're getting out of here and you will NEVER see any of us again!" Blade snarled as best she could.

Kage held Arrow close as they limped outside, flanked by Kiba and Hige. Once they got out, Arrow shied away from the others, choosing to cling to Kage. When they met up with Toboe, they all sat down. Toboe smiled and ran to his twin, but Kage snarled at him when Arrow curled up into her.

"You're safe, bro. We're all out of there, he can't get to you again." she whispered low enough that the others couldn't hear. Arrow didn't speak, and Kage figured he wouldn't for a while. But he looked at her, and she could see that he was trying. Kage looked over at Blade, hoping that Sollecks was okay.

Blade looked down at Sollecks who looked like he didn't know what to do now that they were out, "We have to move, guys." She said even though all she wanted to do was collapse and cry over her baby brother. She was so happy that he was alive. But would he remember how to be a wolf? They were all so young when they were brought into Acuna's, they barely knew how to be true wolves. It would take a long time. They started out west into the rising moon; it was full but a tinge of red.

They couldn't move very fast because of Kage, Arrow and Toboe so once Acuna's was well out of sight they entered into a cave to get out of the wind and out of sight. Once inside Kage brought Arrow to the back where the poor weak wolf collapsed. Blade put Sollecks next to Tsume, or tried because as soon as she let go of him he leapt up to her right side, eyeing Kiba, Toboe, and Tsume warily.

"Sollecks, it's Tsume, Kiba, and Toboe. It's okay, they won't hurt you." She told Sollecks, but he nudged her and she could see the look in his eyes. "They won't hurt me, either," once informed of that, Sollecks dropped down to the ground and sighed. "How is he?" Blade asked softly as Kage looked over the weak Arrow.

"Really weak...Blade...I don't know if he's going to make it..." Kage said, the pain written on her face and in her voice since the others couldn't see her. Blade saw that Arrow's breathing was ragged, his body frail and small.

"He needs the moon," she said, noting that everyone was restless. "He needs all of us...he needs you." she said softly and helped Kage carry Arrow out so the moon could help heal his flesh wounds and quickly pulled food out of her bag. "Get him to eat."

Kage laid down next to Arrow, looking at the moon. "Listen, I know you're probably not gonna answer, but just listen. I missed you so much, I wanted to be there for you instead of out here. I always thought that being free was my dream, but freedom is nothing if your mind is back in captivity. You are my best friend, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you." She smiled as he looked over, wanting to say something but couldn't. "Eat. We need to get further away."

Blade sat at the mouth of the cave, watching Kage talk to Arrow. The moon prickled gently at her skin, begging her to sing, to call to it. But if they did they would give away where they were. That was the last thing they needed.

"Hey," came the low voice of Tsume, he sat down beside his sister with Sollecks following close behind and sitting on the other side of Blade.

"Hi," she muttered, "we need to leave, soon."

"We've been on the move constantly, nothing new." Tsume sighed, Blade looked over her brother, noticing the scar. "Where did you get that?" He attempted to cover it with his palm.

"I'll tell you later, we need to get going." he said quickly, there was so much that all of them needed to catch up on. Would they ever have the time to be a real pack?

Kage and Arrow came back into the cave, Kage's wounds mainly healed. Arrow sat next to Kage, still chewing on the food that Kage had given to him. Kage got up and walked over to Sollecks, her partner in crime when it came to causing trouble, hoping that his reaction would be better than his reaction to the others.

"Hey bro..." Sollecks stared up at Kage and nodded while patting the ground next to him. Kage sat down and he knew she was waiting for him to say something but he knew that it would kill Blade if he didn't talk to her first.

"Blade...I remember Tsume...I remember all of them. But I don't understand why we had to leave the Keep." Sollecks said simply. Everyone stared at him in shock.

Kage stared at him before revealing her wrist. "This is why we had to leave. I did this when I was eight years old." Sollecks saw a scar running down her forearm. "I know I'm not the only one. How many of us would have died there? And how many by our own hands when we couldn't take it anymore?"

Blade sighed and turned her brother to face her, "Sollecks, that is NOT the life of a wolf. We are NOT supposed to be killers, we get the food that we need, and that's all. That life would have ended all of us before we reach adulthood. It was killing us." Blade said, "Look at what it's done to Arrow. It was slowly going to break us all."

Arrow stood up and walked over to Sollecks, pulling down his collar, revealing a scar on his neck that only Kage knew about. His second suicide attempt almost worked, he used a rusted nail he had found to slice his throat open at the base. Acuna had him stitched up, but it left a nasty, jagged scar. The look in his eyes was plain-he was too the point where he wanted to die, no matter what it took. He bit his lip, his old fear of Sollecks rising again as Kage stood up, wrapping him in a hug. His eyes never left Sollecks'.

Sollecks stood slowly and crossed to Arrow, who backed away but Sollecks kept advancing slowly until Arrow hit the back of the cave. "I'm never going to hurt you. I'm sorry that you think I would. I was just doing what I was told for training...I had to let loose so that I wouldn't go insane. You can't keep it inside. If you do, you do this." Sollecks lifted his shirt to reveal a full chest scar reaching from his left hip to his right shoulder. "Acuna left me in The Torture room and I went nuts. It was the first time I was really alone for so long. I had to end it...I was so tired of watching all of you get hurt...of Blade staying up all night watching over us...of watching Kage cry at night when you got hurt...so I climbed up to the top of the ceiling and launched myself onto one of the spikes. I was a little off and instead of dying...I got this. Acuna had me stitched up and thrown in with Blade in a different part of the building. She never told anyone." Sollecks said softly. Arrow stared up at Sollecks in disbelief, "Just because I act like I'm strong doesn't mean I am."

The other wolves looked on as their tortured family fully opened up to each other for the first time. Arrow took a deep breath before stepping forward, leaning into Sollecks's chest, whining softly as his forehead came in contact with the scar. He would have wrapped his arms around the older male, but this was all he could bring himself to do. He hoped that Sollecks understood. Sollecks put his head down ontop of Arrow's and let out a comforting rumble from his throat.

"We have to heal, now. It's not our life anymore...we're free." he said softly to the younger wolf. Sollecks turned slowly to Blade and Hige. "We told about our scars...what about you, sis?" Blade stared wide eyed about being called out about her own scars. Kage looked over at the other girl. She knew Blade had scars, but she didn't know the stories behind them. It seemed like turnaround, Kage, Sollecks, and Arrow had all revealed their scars, in turn revealing some of their best kept secrets.

Blade swallowed hard as the pack stared at her. slowly she stood and sighed. "do you really want to see my scars?" she asked, shaking.

"No more secrets, Blade." Sollecks stated, looking at his sister. "None."

"Fine." Blade took off her hoodie, her tank top and slid her pants down to reveal not just one but many scars. "There they are...all 23 of them." she said grimly before pulling her clothes back on. "After every time I left Acuna would show me what he had done to all of you while I was gone...and I couldn't take it." She was shaking uncontrollably."I couldn't take the fact that I couldn't protect you when it was why they left you with me all those years ago...so I thought, by doing all of this, I would be hurting too..." Blade said and began to crumble and Sollecks caught her. "I would be hurting because I wasn't there to protect you...you're supposed to be young...not...killers."

"We lost our chance at youth but you weren't at fault," Kage whispered, staring at the scars. Arrow nodded in agreement, backing away from where he and Sollecks had been standing to join Kage.

Blade couldn't speak, she could barely breathe and Sollecks held his big sister close.

"You still blame yourself after all these years? Why?" asked Toboe. Sollecks shot the small wolf a dangerous look.

"Because we put all of you with her to protect you from the attack. But when we were all dragged our separate ways, there was no one to help Blade. She tried to defend you, but she was one small wolf against a horde of Men." Hige whispered.

"How come I was left behind?" asked Toboe.

"Be happy you were." Tsume snapped, "You got a damn good life, runt."

"Hige, your turn," Kage whispered, looking at her brother. He sighed, lifting up his shirt. "I needed out, so when I was sent on a mission, I purposely got shot." He pointed out a bullet wound. "And this is from when Acuna found out I failed." A knife wound was above the circular scar.

Blade looked up at Hige, her eyes swimming in tears as she went forward and touched the scar. "We all have a lot of healing to do..." Hige said while tilting Blade's chin up. "And that means you, too. No more Miss Tough Girl...everyone needs to let it out...and not like this." he said while touching one of her scars. "No more..."

Sollecks walked towards Kage, pulling her into a hug. They pulled apart, and Kage brought Arrow closer. Sollecks, although he looked older, was only thirteen. The three of them shared a bond in that they had never had a chance at having a childhood, never had any good memories from being pups. But this seemed to be all they could do. They each curled up against the wall of the cave, exhausted.

...........................................................................................................................................................

Oh the angst...

Read and Review!


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: See Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue

Warnings: As you saw, can get ANGSTY. If you don't want to read torture, suicidal thoughts, anything, I'd stop reading.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Blade sat up that night staring up at the moon, she knew she should sleep. But being so close to Acuna's had her on guard. Every noise outside the cave had her jumping so she finally just took her post at the mouth of the cave. "Can't sleep?" she turned to see Kiba walking toward her and taking the spot next to her.

"No." She sighed, no longer feeling the tension between them.

"Me neither, never can." he sighed back; they looked at each other and smirked.

"No, especially on the night of the full moon," Blade said while staring up at her. "Are you guys really on the path to Rakuen?"

"Yes WE are, and we're going to find it." he said while putting a hand on Blade's. "All of us together, just like before."

"I'm afraid that I'm not the same pup I use to be." Blade muttered.

"I saw that," Kiba replied softly, "But, with time, you'll be the old Blade again. As will everyone else...it all just takes time."

"When did you get so smart?" she asked teasingly.

"I don't know...maybe after all those cracks at the skull you gave me I finally learned something." the two shared a soft chuckle before turning back to the moon.

Kage was woken up by Arrow kicking her-hard. She looked over and his face was terrified, trying to fend off whatever was there in his dreams. He started whining, and Kage was sure that she knew what he was dreaming of. She wrapped her arms around him, trying to calm him down.

"Arrow, you're safe. It's Kage." She whispered, not wanting to give away too much of what had happened to her friend. "You're free. He can't get to you." His fighting loosened a little, but he still looked scared. "I'm not gonna let anything else happen to you. I promise." He calmed a little more, and she started rubbing his back. Sollecks woke up and was looking over, but she shook her head, trying to keep everyone else away. Sollecks nodded, but gave her a small pat on the shoulder.

Kiba stared down at Blade, she was barely awake and was fighting to keep her eyes open. "You can sleep, Blade. You've had a rough day, you'll need all of your strength so we can get moving tomorrow," Kiba whispered down to the exhausted female who tilted her black head towards the white wolf.

"But you'll still be up..." she said holding back a yawn.

"It's okay..." He said softly and blade let out a soft sigh before drifting off to sleep. "I'll watch over you."

~Next Day~

Everyone rose at their own pace, Blade and Kage handed out some of the food they had from their bags, rationing so that they could have enough until they reached the next town.

"Come on, let's get moving." Kiba said gently as Kage helped Arrow up, "We'll go slow until he gets stronger."

"Thanks." Blade said softly.

Kage growled. "I can carry him. We need to get out of here as quick as possible. You think Acuna's going to just let us go? He's going to send out people to look for us." She put Arrow on her back. "Let's go."

"Who knows, that's why we need to get going. Maybe Sollecks should carry Arrow..." Blade said softly. "He's stronger Kage. Sorry, but he is."

"If you'll let me, Arrow, I will make sure we keep up with everyone okay?" Sollecks said in a tone that matched his sisters.

Kage looked over her shoulder at her friend. As hard as it was for Arrow to trust Sollecks, it was just as hard to for her to trust anyone else with the safety of her friend. "Arrow, are you okay with that?" She asked. He nodded, letting her carry him over to Sollecks. He leaned on Kage while climbing onto Sollecks's back.

Sollecks let Arrow get situated on his back, "You let me know if you're slipping, just give a tug on my shirt or something, kay?" Arrow nodded to the older wolf. "We're ready."

Kiba, Blade and Tsume took their posts at the front. Hige stayed towards the back with Sollecks to keep an eye on Kage, Toboe, and Arrow.

"Let's move." Kiba said and the pack set out on their trail west.

Kage watched, smirking, as Blade and Kiba fought for dominance. They were both leaders-Kiba of the wolves that weren't raised in Acuna's Keep, Blade of the others. She knew that her group, even Hige, would follow Blade sooner than Kiba. She ran next to Sollecks, keeping a watch on Arrow as they left. Blade couldn't help but be competitive with Kiba as they ran but she had to hold herself back because Sollecks was still carrying Arrow. Kiba kept shooting her looks whenever she gained a lead on him. Tsume just ran next to her and she couldn't help but feel a small bit of power and leadership as she ran in the middle with the guys flanking her on either side.

"Guys! Toboe's fallen behind...again." Hige called, the pick slid to a stop and turned back to see Toboe struggling to keep up. "Come on, runt. We've barely started!"

"I know that, Hige! But...I'm still really tired!!" Toboe whined and Tsume snarled at him.

"You're tired? You've had plenty of time to rest, it's these guys who should be tired and they're keeping up way better than you!" Tsume was on the younger wolf.

"Tsume!" Blade cried, "He's tired, it's fine. Sollecks probably needs a break," her younger brother nodded, he wasn't but he wasn't about to argue with his older sister. Sollecks lowered Arrow slowly as the others sat to take a break, Toboe collapsing on his face.

"Smooth, pup." Tsume barked, and received a look from Blade. "Hey! You haven't had to deal with him all this time!"

"Neither have you!" Toboe shouted and he got a look from the twins.

"That doesn't give you the right to snap at him every chance you get! He's a pup still, they all are. Let them be, that's the whole point of being free, to just be. I can easily say you're acting you're age, Tsume!" Blade said with an edge in her voice.

"So you show up and suddenly you're the protector of the pups." Tsume said sourly and Blade glared at her brother.

"It was you who put all of them with me, I'm just doing my job." Blade said simply, Tsume opened his mouth, then thought better of it and turned away in a huff.

"How did they even make it this far?" Kage asked Arrow, who shrugged.

"Dumb luck." Sollecks answered, sitting down next to the pups. The three of them leaned back, watching Tsume mope while Toboe was still trying to catch his breath. As the moon fell once more, Arrow felt himself getting stronger. He stood up, Kage following suit.

"Arrow and I are going to check the area." She announced, and the two left without another word. Sollecks wandered off a couple minutes later, leaving Toboe and the other wolves to their own devices.

Blade sat in wolf and listened keenly as the others walked around. She didn't like them being out of her sight and she couldn't help but pace in a circle around the other guys and whimper softly. "Would you settle down? You act like they're YOURS." Tsume snapped and Blade growled at him.

"They pretty much are," Hige whispered.

"Blade, they'll be..." Kiba began but heard something, his ears turning towards where Sollecks had gone. Blade turned and listened to, poised and ready to spring forward to help her little brother.

Kage and Arrow had checked the area a bit, before giving into temptation from the full moon and started to play. Kage had Arrow pinned before he flipped them around, delivering a soft punch to her stomach. She retaliated with a kick to the ribs, and they kept on fighting. They were too involved in the fun they were having to realize the commotion that was going on not even a mile from them. Sollecks had wandered off on his own, restless from the full moon and had come up on a small farm. How had he not been able to smell the cattle? He felt his stomach snarl at him, he had forgotten what the tasted of clean...fresh...bloody meat tasted like. The temptation was too much for the young male and he sprang forward silently at the snoozing herd. Spotting the biggest bull he could he leapt onto it's back, the large animal reared its head and tried to buck him off, causing all of the other animals on the farm to cry out in fear but Sollecks had gotten the taste of blood in his mouth and sank his killer jaws further into the one ton bull.

"HEY!" Came the shout of the farmer, seeing the large dark silver wolf on the back of his best bull he ran in to get his gun.

Kage and Arrow heard the human's voice and decided to check it out. As they got to the area, they saw Sollecks with a bull between his teeth. They were about to help him drag the bull off when they saw the gun.

"Sollecks! Gun!" Kage screamed, loud enough to distract Sollecks from his 'mission'. The older male looked up at the human running towards him and seemed shocked, jumping back and running with the others out of sight. Once they got to safety, Kage turned to face him. "What the hell were you thinking?" She asked, though it didn't come out as angry as she'd like it to sound because her and Arrow were laughing at the look on Sollecks's face when he saw the gun.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time." Sollecks shrugged, holding back his own laughter. "We better get back soon or Blade's gonna go apeshit." None of them made a move to return. It was nice, just like this. Actually, it'd be nice to have Hige and Blade with them, but the three of them were with people who, without talking, knew what they'd been through and understood that they were doing the best they could to get by.

"Do we have to?" Arrow asked, his voice raspy from lack of use.

"Arrow?" Kage asked, looking at her friend.

"Sorry shrimp, but yeah." Sollecks answered, patting the younger wolf on the back. "Now wait until the others hear you have a voice!" Arrow's eyes widened and he shook his head, looking at Kage, who spoke for him once more.

"He doesn't want them expecting him to talk. He doesn't feel comfortable around them yet." She explained. Thankfully she knew what the other pup meant with no words attached. "But I bet the two of us could scare the others." She whispered her plan to Sollecks and Arrow, who both grinned and nodded. They ran back to the cave, Sollecks ahead.

"Stay away from me you fucking bitch! I should have known that you weren't going to be able to handle it out there!" Sollecks screamed, turning to face Kage as the others watched.

"Well maybe if you weren't a fucking psychopath, I wouldn't have gone after you! If you could act like a NORMAL person, you might not have gotten hit!" She retorted, throwing a stick at him.

"Crazy bitch! And Arrow-stop acting so fucking innocent! I can't believe you! I gave you a ride and I get a kick to the kidneys in return?" Arrow just glared, standing next to Kage. Inwardly, they were all laughing at the response they were getting from the others.

...........................................................................................................................................................

Hehe the younger wolves way of having fun is entertaining! Idea came from Real World Cancun for the prank.

Read and Review!


	4. Chapter 4

Summary: See Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue

Warnings: See earlier chapters

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Every one stared in shock, Blade was being sat on by Hige, but she snarled wildly at the male and sprang forward into the middle of the pups. "What do you mean, 'hit'? We heard humans yelling, Sollecks! What the fuck did you do!? What's going on?" Blade asked, failing miserably at keeping her voice level from panicking about what had been going on.

"That fucking psycho-" he pointed at Kage, "followed me, went after some bull. I tried to stop her, and she turned around and hit me!" Kage snarled at him.

"He doesn't have the brains to know what to do in a situation like that!" She got up close to Sollecks, pushing him slightly. "If he knew to just mind his own fucking business, we wouldn't be in this situation!" Sollecks grabbed Kage, flipping her over him, pinning her on the ground. When everyone moved to get involved, the two of them started laughing. Blade sighed immediately; she knew now that it was just a prank. The other wolves gave out noises of annoyance.

"Come on, pups! Blade was worried sick about all of you," Blade leapt on top of Hige and tugged on his ear before he could finish. "What the hell???"

"Oh come on, Hige! You were SITTING on me to keep me here! It was just a joke, relax!" Blade said and Hige tried to flip her over, both in wolf and snapping playfully at each other. Then Blade leapt onto her little brother and bit his tail.

"OW!!" Sollecks yelped and tried to pin his sister who outmaneuvered him. "Why the hell are you so flexible? Let me pin you!" Blade put her paw on her little brother's head and pushed it into the ground.

"Just because you're bigger doesn't always mean you're smarter, little man!" Blade teased.

"We were smart enough to fool you!" Sollecks smirked. "And Hige, chill. We could always have come back in, sat down, and stared into thin air. But we decided to help you and give your otherwise boring life some fun." Kage and Arrow nodded. Blade pushed her little brother further onto the ground before turning to the Tsume Toboe and Kiba, who looked at a lost as to what to say or think about the odd group.

"We're having fun...sorry. But, doesn't the full moon make you like this?" asked Blade.

"Yeah, but we should get moving. Sollecks, you said that there was food nearby?" Kiba turned to the younger male, even though he was almost as tall as he was.

"Yeah, it's a farm. I tried to take down the bull myself. Only managed to injure him but his status is weak; if we maneuver around him and take him down strategically we could easily make off with him. There's enough for everyone." Sollecks said in a somewhat robotic tone.

"Hmmm." Tsume chimed and turned to everyone, "I don't know about you, but I think a fresh kill sounds good."

"Just one problem," Kage pointed out. "The owner is waiting outside with a gun to shoot the next animal he sees." Arrow nodded.

"Oh, yeah..." Sollecks muttered. "Well...we could hunt instead."

"Ever heard of a distraction?" asked Tsume while looking towards Toboe, who puffed his chest proudly at his position.

"Just tell me how long you need one! You guys can count on me!" Toboe cried. Blade turned to the others who seemed a little reluctant to take from a human.

"It's just this one time....we all need the food if we're going to go on." She reasoned. Arrow, Kage, and Sollecks nodded.

"Toboe, don't get shot. If you do, it fucks up the entire 'distraction' plan you guys have," Sollecks deadpanned, proving to Toboe he was dead serious.

"Sollecks, act like you care." Kage joked. Man, the full moon was making all the pups happier.

"Okay. Toboe, don't get shot. I really would be angry if you fuck up the entire 'distraction' plan you guys have." He paused. "That better?"

Blade hit Sollecks upside the head, "Alright, let's do this...."

"We're doing this our way." Kiba stepped in and instantly everyone groaned as Blade turned to face him.

"Excuse me?" She said levelly, the other pups slowly backed away, knowing full well that was her angry voice.

Sollecks stood in front of Arrow and Kage, smirking. "And now the big, bad alpha male gets taken down by my big sister. I wish I had a camera to film this occasion."

"I know what you mean. There's nothing funnier than watching someone fall off the pedestal they put themselves on." Kage added on. Arrow gave a small smile, his first sign of positive emotion in the group. Sollecks turned to the others.

"If we leave now, we can bring back the food before the fight is over," he whispered. "Arrow, distract the human. We both know you won't get shot. Kage, help me drag the thing back here." The three pups left, the other wolves too absorbed in what looked to be a huge blow-out to notice their departure.

"We know how to kill quickly and effectively." Blade said simply in her wolf form and Kiba's hackles raised at this.

"Are you saying that since we weren't trained killers that we can't take down a simple bull?" he snapped, snarling at the brave female. Blade growled.

"What I'm SAYING you arrogant male! Is that we know each other's movements and have better ways of communicating with each other. As far as I can tell the three of you have as good communication skills as the next human." Blade said with an edge in her voice, Kiba snarled at her and she stood still. Kiba began to pace and so did she. Blade didn't want to fight the large male but if this is what it took for him to respect her actions and opinions, then so be it.

Kiba made the first lunge at her, completely predictable he went for her side to knock her off balance. Blade leapt up and met him in mid air knocking him to the ground; quickly the two sprang back up and proceede to fight.

"Shouldn't we do something!?" Toboe cried as Blade sank her fangs down into Kiba's shoulder.

"Nah, Kiba needs a good challenge, and I think she's as good as any." Tsume said while leaning back to watch the beating.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

This one, and probably the next one, are more lighthearted than the rest of the story. If you remember the full moon in the anime, everyone seemed a little OOC. And the pups are just that-pups. The full moon makes them want to have fun.

Read and Review!


	5. Chapter 5

Summary: See Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.

Warnings: See Chapter 1

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Okay, go." Sollecks whispered to the younger male. Arrow ran into the farm, grabbing the attention of farmer. The human started to fire, but Arrow was running in random directions, escaping the bullets each time. "Now." The two remaining wolves grabbed the bull, dragging it out of sight. Once they were out of sight of the farm, Arrow joined them.

"You okay, bro?" Kage asked, answered by just a nod. "Right, now we just need to get it back. Sollecks, grab the stomach, Arrow the hind legs, and I'll grab the front legs." Within ten minutes, they were at the entrance of the cave, where they dropped the bull and sat next to their prize.

"And this is why we're better equipped to do this. We don't waste our time fighting." Sollecks stated. Tsume, Toboe, and Hige turned to see the bull but Kiba was frustrated and bloody, Blade had a few good bites but she was nowhere near as winded as the male.

"Uh...I....ugh..." Kiba muttered, completely embarrassed that he was unable to bring her down.

"I'm not in this to win, Kiba, because I could. I AM a leader in this pack and if you can't accept that, then keep coming I can go all night." Blade said with a smirk as Kiba leaned against the wall, shirt pants and jacket torn and he was bleeding everywhere. Everyone waited in silence to see what Kiba would do.

"Uh, Blade? Food." Kage spoke up. "And Kiba, get over yourself. There's nothing wrong with a female leader." She finished, taking a bite out of the bull. Arrow followed suit.

"See what you can do when you don't start fights?" Sollecks asked in his teacher voice. "Now class, starting fights doesn't only get you a few bruises, but also shown up when three pups kill the bull that you were fighting about leading the kill for in the first place." When he stopped, they heard a snicker. Kage looked, and Arrow had his hand over his mouth, blushing.

Blade smirked and walked over to Arrow, ruffling his hair with a smirk of her own. "You guys are right. It was stupid...whatever. Mind if I take a bite?" she asked while sniffing at the fresh meat, her mouth salivating heavily. Tsume walked over with Hige and then turned to Toboe, who walked slowly up to Kiba, who had his head turned away from the pack.

"Kiba?" whispered Toboe, stepping a little too close and received a low growl from the injured male.

"Come on, Toboe. Leave him to lick his own wounds." Blade said simply, "If he wants to snarl he can snarl alone."

Arrow and Kage finished, sitting against the wall of the cave. "I take it you found the scenario funny?" Arrow nodded, blushing again. "Dude, you know you can talk to me. Nothing wrong with laughing, either. Although your giggle is somewhat creepy." Arrow smiled, laying his head on her shoulder. "Promise me you will never end up like your twin or Kiba." Arrow nodded, his head still on her shoulder. "Good."

Blade threw out what was left of the carcus and plopped down to let her wounds be bathed in the moonlight.

"Blade." she turned to see Kiba walking her way slowly. She stood and walked out of the cave, Kiba followed close behind. "We need to figure this out."

"Yes we do because I am tired of you challenging everything I say and do," Blade started to ramble off but Kiba grabbed her wrists and pinned her up against the rock and stared down at her. "What the hell are you doing!?"

"I think...you need to stop talking." he said simply. Sollecks looked up to see Kiba pinning his sister. He ran over, whipping Kiba off of her.

"Let me make one thing clear. You do not touch my sister. In fact, you do not touch her, Arrow, Kage, or Hige." Sollecks growled, wrapping a hand around Kiba's throat. "Understood?" Kage and Arrow ran over to back Sollecks up. Blade just stared in shock at what had just happened...and what was going on!

"Sollecks, it's okay guys, it'll be okay. Let me talk with Kiba at a safe distance, you guys go back to bed." she said calmly since Kiba wasn't even going to try and struggle against her younger brother, who looked warily at her then at the two younger wolves.

"Fine. I hear anything funny and I'm out here and your ass is mine." Sollecks growled then, flanked by Kage and Arrow, walked back into the cave.

"Can we talk somewhere I won't get killed?" asked Kiba and he walked around to the back of the small hill.

"What was with the pinning?" Blade questioned, her face still a little flushed from the event.

"Had to get you to be quiet somehow...seemed like a good idea at the time." he smirked and she did, too.

Sollecks paced back and forth in the cave, wanting to go out and pretty much kill Kiba.

"Bro, Blade can take care of herself. You saw what she's already done to Kiba," Kage reasoned, watching her friend.

"I'm going to kill him one of these days," was Sollecks' only answer.

The two wolves sat down behind the hill in silence, Blade sighed and turned to Kiba who was looking at her. "What?"

"I'm just...trying to figure you out." He muttered and the female raised an eyebrow.

"There's not much to figure out." she said simply. "Kiba, I don't like fighting. In fact, I hate it. I want to just have my say and not have it challenged by you 24/7, I'm not looking to take your place as alpha but...I don't know."

"Well, there's usually two alpha's...that's what your parents were, right?" Kiba asked, Blade nodded.

"Yes but they were mates, usually," Blade corrected.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Kiba looked away and blushed slightly.

"You're not asking me..." Blade stared wide eyed.

"...shh..." Kiba pointed around the corner and Blade looked up to see the top of Sollecks' head; they were listening. Kiba smirked and so did Blade, they had a plan.

"Yes, Blade. I am asking you to be my mate." Kiba said loud enough for the pups to hear, there were small gasps and a muffled shout. Blade covered her mouth, she could totally see Kage covering Sollecks' mouth and holding him back.

"Oh Kiba! I would love to!" Blade said like a lovesick pup, more muffled shouts.

"Make it look legit..." Kiba leaned in a little and so did Blade because she could see Sollecks struggling to get away. Just as her little brother got around the corner her lips were almost touching Kiba's.

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY SISTER!!!!" Sollecks screamed and he was wrenched away from his 'mate'. Sollecks was furious but the two alpha's were laughing hysterically.

Kage and Arrow came running after Sollecks, each grabbing one arm and holding him back.  
"They were fucking joking!" Kage laughed, planting Sollecks on his ass.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Fairly short, but seemed like a good place to stop. I promise, I'm gonna try posting these as they're written, but normally it slips my mind. One more chapter tonight, then I'll have posted everything that's written so far.

Read and Review!


End file.
